Wedding season in India usually falls around December, which is right after we have all stuffed our faces with sweets for months on account of all the festivals like Diwali, Dhanteras and so on. Weddings are a special affair for all, those getting married, and also those whose near and dear ones are getting hitched.
Last year a lot of Bollywood celebs tied the knot, including Sonam Kapoor (Ahuja), Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra (Jonas), and their wedding pictures gave all of us a lot of fitness, style and beauty goals. As you approach the happiest day of your life, or of your friends or relatives, there’s no harm in indulging in some fitness to look your best.
Dhara Tanna, Senior Vice President at Fitternity shares a four-week routine of getting wedding-fit. “This can be done by following the golden rules for weight maintenance, i.e; 4-4-4 rule- four meals, four fillers, four days of exercise a week. A combination of a balanced diet and exercise, works towards developing a body that is not only fit but also healthy. It’s always a good idea to meet with a nutritionist to understand your own body and its requirements,” Dhara shares.
Week 1: HIIT + Pilates
A combination of high and low impact workouts, performed alternate days of the week will help in making the body accustomed to the required pace and vigour of the following three weeks. HIIT or High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a focussed cardio session involving small bursts of intense exercise alternating with low-intensity recovery periods. This workout helps in pushing the body to its peak capacity and improving health.
With just 20 minutes of daily HIIT, one can gain increased aerobic capacity, burn more fat, build a healthier heart, lose weight and increase metabolism. While Pilates is a form of low-impact exercise which aims to strengthen the core and spine. With slow, precise movements and breath control, Pilates enhances muscle strength along with improving flexibility, mobility and posture.
Week 2: Zumba + Yoga
In the second week, the body will be accustomed to the movement and intensity of the workouts performed in the previous week. Hence, delving into a fun yet intense Zumba dance session becomes essential. This workout style is great for weight loss and toning the body. With the body moving to fast paced music, different muscle groups are focused all at once. The dance form boosts heart health and helps de-stress and improve coordination. Couples can also participate together in Yoga, a relaxing workout to improve movement of various body parts and better flexibility. A slow yet steady way of burning calories, while relaxing the body and unwinding from the hectic routine of wedding preparations.
Week 3: Pilates + CrossFit
The focus for the third week shifts towards toning the body and building strength. The physical benefits of Pilates merged together with crossfit contributes to an increase in muscle strength and tone.The CrossFit workout program incorporates multiple sports and training regimens in one session, containing sets of functional exercises executed at high intensity. These functional exercises follow the best aspects of gymnastics, weightlifting and cardio exercise. CrossFit offers immense physical, mental and emotional benefits.
Week 4: Sunrise Yoga
Early morning yoga sessions offer many benefits — from improving mental and physical health to bettering sleep patterns, elevating the mood, giving a jumpstart to the body’s metabolism and getting the body in tune with natural rhythms. Couples can engage in sunrise yoga and combine mental and physical health to feel their very best and they start a new journey together.
DIET TIPS
1. Essential do’s and don’ts when eating right. These will help you not only while prepping for a big event, but also to feel good and nourish yourself well. If weight loss is your goal, then the only thing you need to do is consume fewer calories than you expend. However, beware of crash diets as they will do more harm than good and even if you do lose weight, the body will first burn muscle and try to retain more fat. The most sensible thing to do is to fill up on your required amount of calories with foods that nourish and sustain you.
2. The make-or-break tip of any diet is to make sure you load up on good old H2O. Water makes up most of our bodies and ensuring you stay rehydrated is key. Big fitness goals can also be achieved by simply cutting out sugar from your diet along with limiting intake of starchy foods like rice and bread.
3. Processed foods also tend to have hidden sugar or excessive sodium which we could all do with less of. So stick to fresh produce like fruit and vegetables, lean protein like fish, chicken or paneer and healthy fats like avocado and hard cheeses. Eating well will also give your skin a radiant glow.
